***Author Interview*** Sharon Sant

Yesterday marked the release of The Young Moon, the second book in the Sky Song trilogy by Sharon Sant. As you all know I really, really REALLY loved that book and so to (belatedly) celebrate here's an interview with the author herself! *bows down at the sight of awesomeness*

First of all: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a workaholic mum of two awesome girls who loves cooking and gardening but is rubbish at both those things.  I’m ridiculously interested in almost everything – archaeology, astronomy, history, psychology – but I only have half-baked facts about any of those things rattling around in my forgetful brain. I look a bit like a hobbit.  Oh yeah, and I write books too.

 General let’s get to know you:

1. Do you write under your own name or with a pseudonym? If yes why did you choose that name? If no what would be your pseudonym?
I write under both.  My young adult books are written under my own name but I have a pen name, Summer Hopkiss, which I use when I write for younger children.

2. What do you do when you’re not writing?
I like baking and running (not at the same time, of course).  I read a lot, all sorts of stuff in different genres, though YA is my favourite.  I’m in my first year of a PhD in literary studies, although, I’m a bit naughty at the moment and running behind with my assignments.  I love going to live gigs and the theatre.  I also have a not-so-secret love affair with geeky TV shows.

3. Do you have any pets/children (they’re pretty much the same right? :P)? And do you find that they can be distracting?
I have two girls, aged eleven and nine.  They’re amazingly supportive, but sometimes a bit too much.  It can be distracting when they’re asking me every five minutes what is going to happen next in my latest book instead of just letting me write it first!

4. What’s your favourite snack food?
Crisps.  I can’t get enough of them!

5. A lot of writers drink a lot of caffeine, do you? If yes in what form?
I drink bucketloads of green tea.  I think there might be a little caffeine in there but not much.  I can’t drink coffee; it has the same effect on me that that feeding a Mogwai after midnight has on it.

About Your Book:

1. What inspired you to write your book?
I can’t remember where the original idea for Sky Song came from, but it was a simple tale of a little girl whose father watched the skies every night.  She didn’t know why but it soon became clear that he was watching for someone, rather than something.  It grew from there really, and once I’d changed the characters into older kids, the rest of the story sort of clicked into place. 

2. Who was your favourite and least favourite characters to write?
Argh, I hate this! In the Sky Song books, I’m torn between Jacob and Luca.  I love them both for very different reasons.  If I’m allowed to choose from all the characters I’ve ever written, I think I’m going to have to say Elijah from Runners.  People have yet to meet him, but I think they’re going to like him.  I can’t say I’ve ever hated writing a character, apart from that I find very minor characters a bit of a pain at times.  It’s a fine balance between making them vaguely interesting while not giving them too much to do. 

3. Did you have a playlist while you wrote your book? If so can we have a sneak peek of it?
I can’t listen to music at all when I write, not even when I’m plotting or editing.  I love music so much that if there is something playing that I like, I get caught up in it and can’t do anything else!

4. How long did it take you to write your book and what distracts you the most?
Sky Song was written in 2007, along with Runners, during a summer break at uni.  I genuinely don’t remember how long the first draft took, but the both of them together took maybe eight or nine weeks.  That was for rough drafts, the finished versions took a lot longer.  In fact, I’m still doing the final edits for Runners now!

5. Would you ever consider writing more stories featuring your character?
I have!  Sky Song part of a trilogy and the second two books, The Young Moon and Not of Our Sky, have already been written.

About books in general:

1. What is your favourite book(s)?
Too many!  I love anything by Dickens, all the Harry Potter books, The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, The Princess Bride by William Goldman… so many!  Recently, The Night Circus really blew me away. I’m also quite interested in non-fiction books, too, on lots of different subjects.

2. Is there a book/series that you wish you’d written?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.   When I read prose like that I just wonder why I bother trying to write at all!

3. How do you like to read?
Snuggled up in bed or curled up in a big, squishy armchair.

4. Which authors inspired you to write?
I don’t think I can name one; writing has just always been in me for as long as I can remember.  There are authors who have influenced my writing along the way, people like Susan Cooper and Philip Pullman, who made me realise that writing young adult doesn’t mean you can’t tackle complex themes.

5. How has your taste in books evolved over the years?
As a teenager I read classics almost exclusively.  I’m not really sure why but I stuck up my nose at anything that wasn’t over a hundred years old!  I dabbled with sci-fi for a while later on, but, even though I liked the ideas, the characters were rarely memorable.  At university I discovered magical realism, which I love now I’ve always loved fantasy and I’ve always loved adventure stories..

Quick fire:

1. Morning or night person?
I used to be morning but now it’s night.  Weird, I know!

2.  TV or books?
Don’t make me do this!  I love books but I get hooked on TV shows more often than I’d like.

3. British or American accent?
British – sorry cousins from over the sea!

4. Cats or dogs?
Dogs

5. Writing on paper or laptop?
Laptop.  Paper is too slow to keep up with my brain and I have a typing qualification so I‘m super-fast on the keyboard!

Purchasing and getting in touch

 
1. In a sentence why should people buy your book? 
If they don’t I’ll cry.  

2. What formats is your book available in? 
ebook at the moment.  Paperbacks will follow later in 2013.  

3. Where can we buy your book? 
Amazon only right now. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sky-Song-The-trilogy-ebook/dp/B00B0CQWV8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362503662&sr=1-1 

4. Where can we follow you on Facebook or Twitter? 
@sharonsant or http://www.facebook.com/sharonjsant?ref=hl 

5. Do you have a website? 
www.sharonsant.com  - Simples! 

So there we have it, one interview. Isn't she wonderful? Anyway must be normal! Thank you Sharon for taking the time to answer my questions and just because I can: Buy your copy of The Young Moon HERE!